2011-12 Lehigh wrestling season outlook
11/10/2011 10:22:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The sixth-ranked Lehigh wrestling team opens its dual meet season on Saturday night as the Mountain Hawks host No. 17 Pittsburgh inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. The Mountain Hawks opened their campaign on Sunday at the UB Open and the Knight Point Clarion Open. Lehigh totaled five champions between the two tournaments and as the Mountain Hawks ready for the dual season, check out the 2011-12 season outlook.
With an eighth-place team finish, three All-Americans and the program's 27th national champion, the Lehigh wrestling program took another major step towards attaining the lofty goals set for the program by head coach Pat Santoro during the 2010-11 season. Another successful dual meet season saw the Mountain Hawks win 15 duals, including a January victory over No. 1 Cornell, a first for a Lehigh program over a national top-ranked team. Santoro emphasizes that all the work and preparation is for March, and the work paid 
off at the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia. Zach Rey capped a 34-1 season by winning the NCAA heavyweight crown and Robert Hamlin joined Rey as a finalist, giving Lehigh two finalists in one year for the first time since 2003. Brandon Hatchett joined Rey and Hamlin to give the Mountain Hawks three All-Americans in one year for the first time in five years, which coincidentally was the last time a Lehigh team finished in the top ten at the NCAA Championships.
off at the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia. Zach Rey capped a 34-1 season by winning the NCAA heavyweight crown and Robert Hamlin joined Rey as a finalist, giving Lehigh two finalists in one year for the first time since 2003. Brandon Hatchett joined Rey and Hamlin to give the Mountain Hawks three All-Americans in one year for the first time in five years, which coincidentally was the last time a Lehigh team finished in the top ten at the NCAA Championships.With most of its key wrestlers returning, including several who just missed out on a spot on the podium, expectations are high for the Mountain Hawks, as they look to continue their resurgence into the national spotlight.
“We want multiple All-Americans, more than we had last year,” explained Santoro, who enters his fourth season. “We want more than one national champ. Those are our goals. The numbers will take care of themselves after that.
Santoro continued, “The bottom line for everyone on this team is to just go out and have a positive experience and score points and have fun. Obviously, you have to be competitive doing that, but if you take the focus off winning and losing and just go out and wrestle, that's when you win matches.”
All three All-Americans are back, along with two wrestlers who just missed out on All-American honors. On the other hand, however, the Mountain Hawks will need to break in several new starters, including a few talented freshmen who will be thrust into the spotlight right away.
“There's going to be a lot of learning on both sides,” Santoro said. We have a lot of experience, but we're going to have a lot of new faces, some first time starters in our program and some freshmen. Our chemistry is important; how these guys feed off each other. We have great leadership. They all know the drill. Earning the starting spot is not enough. We want them to perform at the highest level at the national tournament. Our goal is to win in March and I think they all have that mindset.
To get ready for March, Lehigh will wrestle another challenging schedule, with eight of the preseason top-25 teams on the dual meet slate, including early matchups with Pittsburgh, Illinois and defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Penn State in what will be the 100th dual in the Lehigh-Penn State series, December 9 at Stabler Arena. The Mountain Hawks will compete at the Midlands Championships in December, while the early 2010 slate includes EIWA rivals Cornell, Navy and Rutgers plus trips to nationally-ranked Central Michigan and Oklahoma.
Here's a weight by weight look at what to expect from the Mountain Hawks in 2011-12.
125 – Lehigh lost just one starter to graduation, the hard-working Mitch Berger. In his place his highly touted freshman Mason Beckman, a two-time AA Pennsylvania state champion from Reynolds High School. Beckman came to Lehigh as one of the nation's top ten recruits and has the resume and the makeup to make an impact right away.
133 – There will be a first time starter at this weight with freshman Chris Dinnien and junior Alex Abreu expected to battle it out. Dinnien is a four-time National Prep place winner from Germantown Academy, while Abreu wrestled at 103 just three years ago as a high school senior but has proved to be a valuable backup for the Mountain Hawks. Both men could work down to 125 if needed.
141 – Sophomore Steve Dutton finished one win shy of earning All-America honors as a true freshman en route to earning EIWA Freshman of the Year laurels. He opens the season ranked in the top ten nationally and will bid for his first All-America medal. Dutton will be backed up by sophomores Albert Woody and Simon Wong and freshman Jim Carucci.
149 – As usual, this will be one of Lehigh's deepest weight classes although it will likely be manned by a first time starter. Senior Kyle Rosser won 31 matches last year competing on the open tournament circuit and may get the first crack at the starting spot. Junior Shane Welsh continues to improve and will battle for time as well. Anthony Salupo was Lehigh's Deferred Eligibility Wrestler of the Year last year and will also figure in the mix.
157 – This is another weight class where Lehigh has solid depth, but may utilize a first time starter. Senior Sean Bilodeau has manned this class for the last three years but may try to bump up to 165. Another fifth-year senior, Brian Tanen, has done well in a reserve role and could battle for the starting job. NCAA qualifier Joey Napoli will defer his eligibility while he moves up from 149. Eric Hess was a highly regarded recruit who deferred his enrollment while successfully beating Hodgkin's Disease and will likely defer his eligibility in this his true freshman season.
165 – Senior Brandon Hatchett earned his first All-America medal with a seventh place finish and enters the season ranked in the top five. Hatchett may be challenged by a fellow fifth-year senior in Bilodeau, so there's likely to be a veteran presence at this weight despite the lack of depth.174 – This is another weight class where there will likely be a first time starter. Incumbent Austin Meys, a NCAA qualifier and All-America candidate, will miss the season while he recovers from illness. True freshman Nathaniel Brown, a Pennsylvania state champ, may get the first opportunity. Junior Kevin Bailey will miss the early season while working his way back from injury but may drop down from 184 to challenge here.
184 – The coaches thought Robert Hamlin would excel at 184 but Hamlin took it one step further going 32-3 and reaching the NCAA finals en route to becoming the first-ever wrestling All-American from Vermont. Hamlin enters his junior season ranked No. 2 in the country and will be a national title contender in one of the nation's toughest weight classes. Freshman John Bolich is waiting in the wings behind Hamlin.
197 – Joe Kennedy finished one win shy of earning All-American honors last year and will look to make his first appearance on the podium in his senior season. Kennedy will be challenged by fifth-year senior Kadeem Samuels, who enjoyed a breakout year in 2010-11, placing high in a number of open tournaments and placing at the prestigious Midlands Championships at 184 last December. Freshman Max Wessell is once again deferring his eligibility while he attempts to qualify for the Olympics in judo. True freshman David Quackenbos will serve in a reserve role.
285 – Zach Rey became Lehigh's 27th individual national champion after a brilliant 34-1 campaign that saw him hold the nation's No. 1 ranking from start to finish. Once again ranked No. 1 in the nation Rey will look to become Lehigh's first two-time national champion since Darryl Burley in 1979 and 1982 and its 15th three-time All-American in this, his senior season. True freshman Jack Delia, another talented New Jersey heavyweight, will learn the ropes from Rey and Lehigh heavyweight coach Steve Mocco.
Saturday's Lehigh-Pittsburgh dual is slated for a 7 p.m. start from Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased at the Lehigh Ticket Office, located in Grace Hall, or online at Lehighsports.com. A complete match preview and match notes will be posted on Friday.
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Thursday, February 20
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Wednesday, December 04
Season Preview: Wrestling
Wednesday, October 30
